HCMC – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has written to the government of Quang Ninh Province declining to support the construction of a tourist boat stop in the core zone of Halong Bay, according to Lao Dong newspaper.

The ministry said the project would become an eyesore for Halong Bay, which is a World Heritage site, suggesting instead that the provincial agencies and investors should choose a site in the buffer zone for the boat stop to preserve the image of natural landscapes and the environment in the Bay.

Building a boat stop will not only affect the landscape but also lead to environmental pollution due to the influx of tourists and sale of seafood, representatives of travel firms noted.

Earlier, in May, the government of Quang Ninh Province had asked the ministry to approve the boat stop project, as well as tourist service facilities and sightseeing sites in combination with seafood trading at Dai Yen Fish Sauce JSC in Cap Tao Bay, Halong. The project had total capital of VND24 billion and covered an area of 20,000 square meters.

The proposal surprised travel firms as the province had spent a great deal of money and time on moving old fishing villages to the mainland and clearing away seafood vendors to protect the World Heritage site.